Amber is For Caution - Valerie Phillips

Amber is For Caution

Amber is For Caution is an exhibition/book by Valerie Phillips which centres her fascination with Amber, a former model. It highlights the relationship between the subject and Photographer. In an interview Phillips says:

"I met Amber when she was 15. She came to my studio for a casting. She was quiet and feisty at the same time, a kind of bratty and fascinating. I loved her slow-paced, drawn out Kentucky sentences, so perfectly out of place in East London. And I really liked how she didn't seem to give a shit. She was just Amber and that was good enough."

Valerie Phillips herself was somewhat rebellious (left school to compete with her skateboarding team and finally leave for the UK) which perhaps had an influence over her fascination with Amber within whom she may have seen elements of herself.

Image Analysis

The first thing that attracts my attention in this photograph (and most of the others in the series) is the raw, 'what you see is what you get' quality. The full frontal, intimate, close up portrait depicts Amber looking at the camera with a mutual, slightly hostile facial expression, (enhanced by the cyan colouring) possibly due to her dissatisfaction with the modelling industry which she later rebels against, yet the text suggests otherwise; "like i said, I'm Amber and I'm just another girl, try talking to me, I'm pretty nice." This sounds inviting and highlights the raw, unglamourised (or normal) depiction of Amber throughout the images, giving the viewer an insight to the real her and her thoughts. The text is a handwritten-like font adding to the whole personal feel of the image and to the project as a whole.

The V&A Print Room

Fortunately, yesterday upon my trip back home to London, I visited the Victoria and Albert Print Room. I was given the opportunity to view and handle original prints from master photographers such as Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Andre Kertsez and Henri Cartier-Bresson. I was amazed by the fantastic detail and quality of the prints that cannot be seen through the internet or even books. Here are some of my favourite prints which I was lucky enough to experience:

Mono Lake 1955 - Edward Weston

Chez Mondrian, Paris 1926- Andre Kertesz

Andre Kertesz

' Melancholic Tulip' 1939

This is one of my favourite still like images. Kertesz transforms a regular still life object into an extraordinary composition, projecting an emotive atmosphere, causing the tulip to appear for me, as a

This is one of my favourite still life images. Kertesz transforms a regular still life object into an extraordinary composition, projecting an emotive atmosphere, causing the tulip to appear for me, as a

metaphor of a human being, implying the transitional process of life. This image could also be symbolic of the death of Kertesz’s wife whom he lost to cancer.

As the title suggests, the image emerges feelings of melancholy and sadness, reflecting the shape of the drooping tulip. The lighting causes there to be contrast yet still maintaining the gentle grey tones. I feel that the contrast is a symbol of the melancholy and the gentle tones represent the delicacy and vulnerability of the tulip itself, and therefore the person (possibly his wife) for whom is it a metaphor.

The overall mood of this photograph is undeniably solemn, however the gentle tones and delicacy of the print emerge feelings of peacefulness and serenity. For me, it conveys the message that everything eventually comes to an end. Although this is a sad concept, it’s natural and therefore has a sense of comfort. It may not necessarily represent the end of life, but could also be symbolic of specific low times in someone’s life, or a loss of something important to them. The tulip still maintains its beauty despite the fact that it’s gradually coming to the end of its life, increasing the empathy felt by the viewer towards the tulip which could be symbolic of an event in their own life.

For me, every aspect of this photograph - from the contrast, lighting to the darkroom manipulation is symbolic of a particular idea in order to convey a preferred reading from Kertesz to the viewer.

For me, every aspect of this photograph - from the contrast, lighting to the darkroom manipulation is symbolic of a particular idea in order to convey a preferred reading from Kertesz to the viewer

Modernism - Imogen Cunningham

Magnolia Blossom - 1925

Imogen Cunningham was a member of the f/64 group, which in contrast to Pictorialists, supported realism in photography as opposed to emulating painting techniques. The group shared the view that photography should achieve fine art status through exclusively photographic methods.

This image 'Magnolia Blossom' is a gelatin silver print produced in 1925. The image depicts a newly opened Magnolia bud, revealing the extremely detailed, almost sculptural stamen. Traditional of the modernist movement, it is clear that the subject is a magnolia bud, the angle is simple and tones are gentle, reflecting the delicate texture and nature of the actual plant as opposed to trying to make it into something it is not (e.g. a painting).